


Thanksgiving at The Barns

by alteridemlynch



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Family Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Thanksgiving, aka the fic where everyone gets together years later with kids for thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-01-15 19:58:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21258806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alteridemlynch/pseuds/alteridemlynch
Summary: Thanksgiving was at the Barns ever year.Or it has been, ever since the raven boys’ final year of high school. It was established then, that summer and before and beyond, that they were their own family.Even when everyone left Henrietta — Gansey and Blue moving only slightly away to Richmond, Henry planting himself in Los Angeles, and Ronan and Adam (and therefore Opal) settling comfortably in Boston.Despite their distance, they came together every November to gather at the Barns.Even when their families grew larger, with children and partners and husbands and wives, they centered their family back at the Barns, ensuring they’d all be together at least once a year.





	1. Loading the Car

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Used the same names from my other future fic (The Perfect Family) for the Pynch and Bluesy kids cause I like them!  
2\. Haven't read the books in a bit so some details may easily be wrong.

Thanksgiving was at the Barns ever year. 

Or it has been, ever since the raven boys’ final year of high school. It was established then, that summer and before and beyond, that they were their own family. 

Even when everyone left Henrietta — Gansey and Blue moving only slightly away to Richmond, Henry planting himself in Los Angeles, and Ronan and Adam (and therefore Opal) settling comfortably in Boston. 

Despite their distance, they came together every November to gather at the Barns. 

Even when their families grew larger, with children and partners and husbands and wives, they centered their family back at the Barns, ensuring they’d all be together at least once a year. 

————————— 

Ronan Lynch stood on the sidewalk outside his home in Boston, inspecting the open trunk of his BMW and the various pieces of luggage on the sidewalk beside him. He has now made three attempts to tetris the luggage into the trunk, but has failed each time. The car is just too small to hold four bags of luggage, a cooler full of snacks, a birdcage and various toys. 

It would be much simpler (and quicker) if they could just fly to Virginia, but putting Opal through airport security isn't the best way to expose Ronan's power to the world. Plus, their son Hunter was still a bit too young to fly in Adam's opinion. 

Ronan didn’t want to give up on his BMW though. 

He knew what giving up meant, and would not let Adam have that victory. 

As he lifts up the largest of the suitcases, ready for attempt number four, Opal comes out of the front door and saunters over to him, a smirk on her face. 

“What?” he snarls.

“We have to—“

“Don’t say it!” Ronan warns

“Come-on, Kerah, you’ve been out here for almost an hour—“ Opal sighed. 

“I will not drive that thing under any circumstances—“

“We needed to leave twenty minutes ago,” she tries one last time, groaning like the teenager she’s grown to be. 

Ronan took a deep breath and shoved her duffel bag aggressively in the trunk. “I will not. Take. The —“

“We’re taking the minivan!” Adam calls, a giddy smile on his face. He’s standing on the front step, door ajar, smiling mischievously at Ronan. “Come on, Opal, go inside and help your brother clean up his room.”

“Dad!” she protests.

“Opal. Now. We’re already late as it is, and I don’t want to come back to a living room full of Legos.” 

“Ughhhh,” she groans, but stalks off anyway, pulling out her phone and typing furiously as she wakes inside. 

“That girl,” Adam smiles, shaking his head. “She’s truly something.” 

Ronan nods for a minute, proud of his stubborn dream daughter, before turning back to the BMW. “I think if I just angle—“

“Lynch. We’re taking the van. End of discussion,” Adam says sternly—his “lawyer voice” as Ronan likes to tease. 

“Well when you put it like that…” Ronan smirks, reaching for his husband and pulling him close.

(The Lawyer Voice may or may not turn Ronan on). 

Adam chuckles and presses his body against Ronans and then his lips. Ronan smiles against him, his hatred for the minivan slipping away for a brief moment, as they kiss. 

They’re broken up by the sound of the front door shutting as Opal and Hunter step outside, Chainsaw resting carefully on his small shoulder.

Adam steps aside first, kneeling down slightly to meet the three year olds’ gaze. “All clean?” 

“Yessir!” Hunter grins, eyes wide and blue. Adam gives him a gentle pat on the head before hoisting him up onto his hip. He immediately curls into his body like a koala. 

“Alright I think we’re ready to go once your father loads these bags into the van,” Adam smirks at Ronan, gesturing to across the street, where the minivan waits. The four of them head on inside the van, Adam strapping Hunter into a booster seat before settling inside the passenger seat. Chainsaw rests on the arm rest next to him.

Ronan begrudgingly loads the luggage in the trunk — fitting it all inside with ease and spare room—before stepping around to the passenger side. He taps on the window at Adam. “Not only do we have to take the minivan, but you’re going to make me drive the minivan?” Ronan growls. Adam can barely hear him with the window rolled up, but he gets the message and laughs, shrugging. 

Ronan groans and crosses to the other side of the car, sliding into the passenger seat. “This is embarrassing.” 

“I think you secretly like it,” Adam smiles. Ronan just shakes his head, turning the key and starting the long drive to Virginia.


	2. Arriving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Wasn’t gonna make this post-CDTH but kind of had to. Hard to ignore all the new info after reading it. So some minor spoilers ahead!   
\- not beta’d. Apologies for any typos or errors! I 100% switched tenses from the last chapter but am too tired to fix it right now so I apologize.   
\- I don’t know the logistics of Matthew living so far away from Ronan but let’s pretend it’s FINE

The drive was long. Very long. 

The master of the aux cord rotated every hour so that each family member had a total of two turns. It was a rule Adam had established years ago when he and Ronan first started making the long drive to Cambridge, and it stuck. It’s fair. 

Fair and painful. 

Ronan’s music was all loud screaming and pounding beats—so much so that Hunter was allowed to wear noise canceling headphones during his sections of the trips in order to protect his precious, young eardrums. Adam and Opal were not as lucky. 

Adam’s choices were more soft and subdued, acoustic guitars and gentle piano. Poetic lyrics and simple hooks. 

Opals were....chaotic to say the least. Her playlists were collections of the top Billboard charts and the randomest of small town, self produced bands. It was a gamble with her music, something that at least kept the ride interesting and surprising. 

Hunter’s turn with the aux chord really just meant Adam went to the “children’s” section of his phone and shuffled some of his favorites such as Disney classics and TV show theme songs. Everyone in the family could recite the Paw Patrol theme by the end of the trip. It was probably the most annoying of all their musical selections, but also the cutest, as Hunter tried to sing along to every song, despite not knowing or being able to pronounce 90% of the words. 

Ronan would listen to this playlist the whole 8 hours for that kid, but he’d never admit it. 

After frequent bathroom breaks, fast food stops, and spouts of crankiness from all, they pulled up to the Barns, the sky illuminated by stars. 

Adam pulled up to the driveway but stopped, nodding at Ronan, who quickly made a phone call, which he’d slowly grown more accustomed to doing. “We’re here....yeah, thanks......It’s off? For sure?.....Ok. See you. Bye.”

Ronan nodded and Adam pulled the car forward. Ever since they and their friends started having kids, Ronan knew he had to rework the security system for the Barns. It was taking its toll on him, too, so he dreamt up something new: a remote control. This way, the security system could be turned on and off as needed. 

Once parked in the driveway, the family crawled out of the van, desperate to stretch and shower and eat some real food. 

Opal started galloping towards the door but Ronan called out before she got more than few feet away. “Hey Brat - hell me with the luggage”. She rolled her eyes but came back to meet him at the trunk nonetheless. 

Adam went to the side of the car and unstrapped a sleeping Hunter from his car seat and lifted him against his chest. He was walked up to the front door, Opal and Ronan trailing behind him with luggage in hand. 

The front door swung open and there was Matthew Lynch, smiling, giddy, in all his boyish joy, despite being a full grown adult by now. 

Ever since Ronan moved to Cambridge with Adam five years ago (into an apartment off the Harvard campus he was very banned from), the Barns have been running mostly on their own. But Matthew and Declan, being significantly closer to Virginia, came back to check on it every month or so. But when Matthew moved across the country for college, he was was unable to come back as frequently, but still remained the main keeper of the farm (as Declan did not want to take over) and therefore in position of the ever precious security system remote. 

“Adam!” Matthew cheered, giving him a half hug around Hunter. “Hey buddy,” he whispered to his nephew, ruffling is hair gently. 

“Hi, Matthew!” Adam smiled as he shuffled inside, setting Hunter down on the couch to regain use of his arms. 

“Hi Uncle Matthew,” Opal grinned, giving him a long, genuine hug and dropping her bags on the porch. They’ve always had a special bond, maybe because they’re both dream things. They understand each other in ways not many others can. 

This made Ronan smile as he came up behind them, rolling his luggage to a stop. 

“Out of the way, maggot,” Ronan teased, nudging Opal out of the way to hug his brother. “I missed you,” Ronan said, though it’s very quiet and through gritted teeth. It’d been half a year since the brothers had seen each other, with Matthew finishing up his last year of college in California. Ronan squeezes his younger brother tightly, glad that he’s safe, and happy, and here. 

“I missed you, too, Ro,” Matthew smiled, grateful for this rare emission of affection from his brother. “Here, I’ll help you bring the bags upstairs.”

————————— 

An hour later, Hunter’s been given his bath by an enthusiastic Matthew, and put to bed. Opal’s in the living room curled up on the couch that will soon be her bed FaceTiming a friend from home and chatting away like the teenager she is. 

Matthew, Ronan and Adam sit at the kitchen table drinking warm cups of tea and recounting the last few months. It’s nearly 11pm now, but with the anticipation of everyone else arriving tomorrow morning, no one seems too anxious to get to sleep. 

“What time is Dick getting in tomorrow?” Ronan asked, though he new the answer. He was almost overly excited to see his best friend and was trying to hide it. 

“I think Blue said they’re leaving early, around 7 or 8?” Adam answered. “So probably by 11 at the latest.” Ronan just nods. 

After their international road trip, Blue and Gansey both went to college, while Henry moved to LA—part of the reason Ronan and Declan let Matthew go there for school was knowing that at least someone in the city, albeit Cheng, was there that was in the know about everything. 

Once graduated, Blue and Gansey moved to the suburbs of Baltimore, knowing that both of them wanted to get out of Henrietta but also not too far away. The psychics would never let Blue get too far away. 

“Declan said he’ll be here around then, too,” Matthew chimed in. “I’m excited to see the baby!” He smilds so wide, probably picturing little Rory in his head. 

“Yeah, she’s getting big,” Adam grinned, probably thinking about when Hunter was that little, just as Ronan was. Ronan missed having a baby around the house. Did Adam miss it too? “And I’m actually getting tired. I think I’m going to head to bed. Ro?” 

“Yeah I guess I should too. I have to wake up early to start on the turkey,” he sighed, standing up. Waking up early used to be easy for Ronan, rising easily to the sun to accomplish his chores around the Barns. But since moving away, he’s grown a bit lazier, sleeping in till at least ten on his best days and one at his worst. The thought of waking up tomorrow at seven to start cooking did not excite him, but he was the best cook out of all their friends, and he’d rather wake up early than eat a shitty meal. “You got all the groceries right, Matt?” 

“Yessiree,” Matthew nodded. “It’s all in the fridge.” 

“Thanks,” Ronan says, leaning against the stairwell. “You going to bed soon?”

“Yeah, just gonna call Susan first.” Susan was Matthew’s girlfriend of nearly a year. She’s from Arizona and is spending Thanksgiving there—which is good for now, considering she doesn’t know about dreamers and their dreams as of now. Ronan’s met her once, during Matthew’s birthday, and liked her enough. But it was still too soon to bring her into their world, into the truth. Matthew understood that as well as anyone, being that he is a dream.

“Have fun,” Ronan smirked, giving him a mischievous grin. Matthew rolled his eyes and called out “You too!” with a wink. 

Adam shook his head, trotting up the stairs. Ronan followed, slapping his ass for show while Matthew laughed at the two of them. 

Ronan had actually been quite ready to go go to sleep, but now that the idea’s in his head, he’s wide awake once again. 

Hopefully Adam is too.


	3. Long Night And Early Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading this from my phone so apologies if there’s weird formatting 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Adam collapses onto Ronan’s childhood bed as soon as he enters the room, face down into the pillows, shoes still on. 

Ronan laughs, taking off his own shoes before crawling in carefully, slowly, next to him. He lays a gentle hand on the back of his neck, stroking it softly, “Tired, Parrish?” 

“It was a long drive,” Adam groaned into the pillow.

“It was.” 

“And tomorrow’s going to be a long day.” 

“It will be.” 

“So yes, I am tired, asshole,” he sneers halfheartedly, turning onto his side to actually look at Ronan, a sleepy but dopey grin on his face. 

“That’s a shame,” Ronan sighs, leaning back, stretching his arms behind his head to cradle it. “I just got a burst of energy. Don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for a bit.” 

“Oh, is that so?” 

“Yeah…there’s just so much stuff I could be doing right now instead. Seems like a waste to sleep . . .” Ronan sighs heavily, looking off into the distance.

Adam rolls his eyes at the dramatics, but sits up a little nonetheless. “Yeah, I guess, but I’m preeetttyy tired,” he drawls, leaning a bit closer to Ronan, teasing him. 

Adam’s eyes dip to look at Ronan’s lips as he speaks. “I think I could wake you up, Parrish.” There noses are nearly touching now. 

“Try me, Lynch.” 

And then they’re kissing: lips pressed together, hands roaming skin, the fabric of their clothes wrinkling and bending as they move against each other. Sitting there, entwined together, they almost look like their old selves, kissing for the first time. It’s just as fast and passionate as hungry as it always is and always will be. 

Adam rolls on top of Ronan, straddling him and kicking off his shoes. He runs his hands up Ronans torso, pulling his shirt up as he goes. Ronan stretches his arms up automatically and helps him wrangle the black tee off. Adam leans over and kisses his neck, his teeth digging slightly into the skin, making Ronan moan. He travels lower, kissing and sucking and biting at his husband’s chest, hands gently roaming on their own. 

Ronan arches his back up a bit, desperate for more, and Adam takes the cue. He stands up briefly to step out of his jeans, while Ronan lies on the bed and shimmies out of his own. Adam shrugs off his sweater and then the shirt beneath it before finally climbing back on top of Ronan, skin pressing against skin blissfully. 

Ronan rolls them over, so that he’s now on top, and kisses him again, devouring him. Adam groans against him, hands clawing into Ronan’s back for purchase. Ronan rolls his hips down a bit, grinding against him, and Adam lets out a soft sigh. He leans over him, nipping at the flesh beneath his hearing ear and whispers “You awake yet?” before returning to kissing his neck. 

“Getting there,” Adam laughs, though the laugh is more of a gasp with a bit of a hiccup. 

“Fuck you, Parrish,” Ronan says, slapping his stomach lightly, before moving down his body and making sure every ounce of sleep melted away from Adam Parrish’s body at Ronan Lynch’s touch. 

—— 

Ronan wakes up early, the sun just starting to peak above the treetops outside. Adam rolls over at the sudden emptiness in bed, grumbling a bit, but Ronan just tucks the covers tightly around him, kisses his cheek, and heads downstairs. 

Ronan tries to stay quiet as he preps the food for tonight, as Opal’s sleeping in the living room, and he is not in the mood for her to get all snarky about being woken up at 6 in the morning. 

He cuts vegetables, rolls dough, and preps the brine for the turkey. He makes stuffing, crushes cranberries, and mashes potatoes. After nearly two hours of working, Adam comes shuffling down the steps, tip-toeing after spotting Opal asleep on the couch. 

“Mornin’” Adam says soft, wrapping his arms around Ronan’s waist from behind as he presses pie crust into a pan. He kisses the crook of his neck and rests his head there as Ronan works. “Sleep okay?”

“How could I not? You exhausted me last night,” Ronan smirks, turning around to meet his lips. “Hunter awake yet?” 

“Yeah, Matthew’s playing with him upstairs. He’s good with him,” Adam smiles, grabbing a cup of coffee and stirring in some milk. 

“Yeah, he is,” Ronan smiles, stirring the last of the pumpkin pie filling and pouring it carefully into the crust. Adam opens the oven for him as he guides it inside and sets the timer. 

“Amongst all this dinner prep, did you happen to prepare anything for breakfast?” Adam smirks, knowing fully well that Ronan did. 

“Pancake batter’s in the fridge.” Adam grabs it for him, setting the bowl of fresh batter next to the stove where Ronan’s sliding a chunk of butter across the skillet. “Eggs too?” 

“Yeah, I can do them,” Adam offers as he picks the carton out of the fridge. 

“Like hell you can,” Ronan laughs. Adam is good at a lot of things, but cooking is definitely not one of them. “Give ‘em to me.” 

Adam obliges, handing him the carton, and watches in awe as Ronan multitasks, pouring batter and cracking eggs and flipping pancakes and scrambling eggs and cycling through it a few times until a large plate of pancakes and eggs is steaming on the kitchen table. 

Opal, yawning, shuffles lazily into a chair, awoken by the smell. She’s wearing a large sweater and a pair of pajama shorts, revealing her furry legs and hooves. The best thing for her about being at the Barns is the freedom to fully be herself. She can’t exactly walk around Cambridge like that. “Smells good, Kerah,” she smiles, grabbing a pancake with her hands and immediately shoving it in her mouth. 

“Hey — use a fork,” Adam condescends, nudging one towards her. She rolls her eye but obliges. 

Ronan heads over to the staircase. “Matthew, Hunter! Breakfast!” 

Hunter comes running down the stairs. Hunter’s always excited for food, but his running is a little more frantic then usually. Ronan figures out why seconds later, when Matthew comes down after him, growling like a monster. Hunter runs for the table but Mathew is faster, snatching him up in the air and roaring ridiculously. Hunter giggles and cries out, “Save me! Save me!” 

Ronan reaches towards his brother, trying and failing to hide his smile, and wrestles his son from his grasp. Hunter laughs and hugs him tightly, arms curling around his neck. “Thanks, Daddy!” 

“Uncle Matthew sure is scary,” Adam grins. 

“The scariest,” Ronan agrees, setting Hunter down on a chair at the table before sitting down in between him and Adam. Matthew grins, proud of himself, and sits down across from Ronan. 

“Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!” Hunter chants, nearly banging on the table. Matthew joins in, just to be annoying, and Ronan swats at him to stop. 

“Here,” Adam says, cutting up two pancakes into small pieces and scooping some eggs on the plate. He hands it to Hunter, who starts eating just as eagerly as his sister—with his hands. “Fork, please.” 

“And don’t eat too much—lots of food tonight,” Ronan says, despite shoving nearly an entire pancake in his mouth in one bite. 

“I don’t think eating too much is a thing for me or Hunter,” Opal chirps over a mouthful of eggs. Over the years, her eating habits have grown more human, mainly due to the fact that she can’t exactly eat rocks or wood chips in public school. Now her diet is that it a normal teenage girl, if not a little bit larger. Her stomach never seems to get too full, yet her petite body never seems to grow much bigger. Occasionally she’ll sneak a bite out of a piece of nature, but only when she’s alone and only when she’s desperately hunger. 

Hunter, while still a toddler, seems to take after her eating habits, filling up on as much food as he can.

“I love fooooooodddd,” Hunter squeals, holding up a pancake over his head like a medal. Adam rolls his eyes and shakes his head, too enamored by his adorableness to scold him for playing with his food. 

“You’re lucky your Dad is such a good cook,” Adam smiles, placing a hand gently on Ronan’s thigh.

“Oh, I know,” Opal agrees. “Remember that time Kerah was out of town and you were alone with us for 3 days? We had takeout every night.” 

“Be thankful you got takeout. You do not want to taste his cooking,” Ronan jokes, though he clasps Adams hand tightly and gives it a squeeze. 

“You made pasta that one time for Blue’s birthday and even that wasn’t good,” Matthew laughs. 

“That was disgusting,” Ronan agrees. 

“How do you mess up pasta?” Opal laughs. 

“I told you, I didn’t realize that mi—“

“No excuses, Parrish. You’re a bad cook. Desk with it,” Ronan interrupts, laughing. Adam is laughing too—and Opal, and Matthew and even Hunter, though he was only a baby then and definitely does not remember the event. 

This is often how any sort of family meal goes with the Parrish-Lynch family: eating, teasing, good-intentioned-jabs, and lots of laughter. 

Ronan loves mealtimes with his family, which is why he loves Thanksgiving. 

Minutes later, with not a single pancake remaining, Adam starts clearing the table while Ronan returns to cooking. Opal runs upstairs to shower and Matthew takes Hunter into the living room to watch cartoons. 

It’s only nine o’clock now, but Ronan hears the crunch of gravel under the tires and peers out the kitchen window. 

“No way Blue and Gansey are already here,” Adam remarks, though he’s still looking down at the dish he’s scrubbing. 

“That’s cause it’s not Blue and Gansey,” Ronan says, an odd look on his face as he looks out the window at the sleek Volvo pulling up the drive.


	4. The Last Lynch Brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay. I ideally wanted to have this all finished by actual Thanksgiving, but things with my family were a bit insane, and I ended up getting very sick, so this is a bit late but hopefully still enjoyable!
> 
> Disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea/experience with how to write for Jordan, Declan or Hennessey so they may be a little out of character, but hopefully I'll settle into them a bit....

**CHAPTER 3**

Moments later, there’s some semi-desperate knocking at the front door. Adam answers it, smiling, to see Declan standing there, not smiling.

“Hey, Declan, how are y—““Sorry, I just—,” he starts, pushing past Adam and heading straight to the bathroom. Ronan laughs behind him, tipping his head around the corner as if that will give him x-ray vision to see through the door and into whatever mess lies behind it.

A second later, Jordan comes up the steps, baby in hand, with a smirk on her face. “Adam! Ronan!” she smiles, opening one arm to give them each a side hug, careful to squish the little girl in her arms. “It’s so good to see you both!”

“You too, Jordan…..what’s up with Declan?” Adam asks hesitantly.

She rolls her eyes and toes her shoes off at the same time. “He’s just mad because I told him not to wear his nice shirt in the car because Rory was bound to make a mess of some sorts during such a long drive, and he didn’t listen. So when she spit up all over him, he freaked out, of course,” she explains, though she’s laughing slightly. Declan loved his daughter, but he hated bodily fluids of any kind. “Luckily, I knew this would happen, and packed him an extra shirt.”

“Stubborn idiot,” Ronan grumbles.

“Very smart of you,” Adam applauds Jordan.

Aurora “Rory” June Lynch had been adopted only months ago, and the couple was still figuring out their lives as parents.Jordan was too frightened about what complications her having a child could bring—what it could mean for its future, such as its possible dependance on her and Hennessy for its livelihood—as no one quite understood what the child of a dream could be. Ronan was a child of a dream, of course, but also that of a dreamer. Declan was not a dreamer, like Ronan or Niall. There was no telling what could happen, and neither Declan nor Jordan were willing to take that risk when it came to their child.

She has a round face and bright eyes and little tufts of red hair on her head, which is both odd and exciting. If you looked at her, it was clear that she’s adopted, but neither Jordan nor Declan minded that. They love her all the same.

“Come on in, take a seat,” Adam says and Jordan immediately follows, plopping down on a kitchen chair. Declan comes out moments later, in a clean shirt, with a slightly less angry look on his face.

“Hello,” he says, as if the last two minutes nee happened.

“Hey,” Ronan says, coming in for an awkward yet warm hug. The two brothers still have their differences, but have grown much closer over the years—a combination of maturity, parenthood, and shared experiences.

“Sorry about that,” the oldest brother shrugs. “I just bought that shirt, and—“

“We have a washer and dryer, Declan,” Adam laughs. “It will be fine.” He just nods, clearly embarrassed by his little outburst.

“Where’s Hennessy?” Ronan asks, turning to Jordan.

“She’s asleep in the car,” she laughs. “Didn’t want to wake her….She’ll be up soon enough, though, once she realizes she’s alone and the car isn’t moving.” Even though Hennessy has now been able to enjoy years of sleep lasting longer than 20 minutes, it is still very precious to her. It’s an unspoken rule not to wake her up unless necessary

“And how’s Rory doing?” Adam asks, sitting down next to her to get a good look at the baby.

“She’s doing really well,” Jordan smiles. Declan does too, stepping behind her to look down at the giddy baby, who was now staring doe-eyed up at her parents. “We just had a visit with the doctor and he said she’s perfectly healthy!”

“She just started crawling, too,” Declan beams.

“She’s beautiful,” Adam says, giving her forehead a gentle brush. He looks up at Ronan and raises his eyebrows a bit. They’d been talking about adopting another baby for a while now, and seeing sweet Aurora there made both of their hearts jump a bit.

“She is,” Ronan agrees. He leans out of the kitchen and into the living room, where Matthew and Hunter are watching TV—well, Hunter is watching TV. Matthew’s dosed off already, unused to the early mornings. “Hunter, come say hi to your Aunt and Uncle,” he calls.

Hunter seems to snap out of a trance—cartoons have that effect on kids—and smiles wide, running over to them. “Hi, Uncle Declan!! Hi Auntie Jordan!” he gushes, going them big hugs. “Hi, little cousin,” he says to Rory. Rory coos at him and he smiles, his face lighting up.

“Hey, Hun, why don’t you grab some of your old toys for Rory to play with?” Adam says, crouching down to meet him. He nods excitedly and races up to his room.

“He’s getting really big,” Declan says. Everyone silently nods in agreement. Only now that they’re all older do they understand how quickly time really moves. “Where’s Opal?”

“She’s showering. She probably won’t be down for a while -- she just got into makeup and now takes years getting ready,” Ronan groans.

“Aww, I’m sure she has fun with it though,” Jordan grins.

“She does,” Adam smiles. “Though it scares me a bit—she looks like a teenager!”

“She _is _a teenager,” Declan comments.

“Yes, but doesn’t mean she needs to look like one,” Ronan shrugs. They all laugh, thinking about how little Opal was when she first appeared out of Ronan’s dream. At that point, no one knew if she would age like Aurora or Matthew had — she wasn’t fully human, after all. But slowly they realized she did age, and it’s been a wonderful yet sad realization. Wonderful, because she can live a more normal life. Sad, because Ronan and Adam’s “little girl” is actually growing up. Hence why they’re thinking of having another kid.

“Okay, I’ve gotta get back to cooking so I need some peace and quiet in this kitchen,” Ronan announces, shooing everyone away. “Go bother Matthew until it’s time to eat.”

With that, they all exit the kitchen, Adam planting a quick kiss on Ronan’s cheek, and head into the living room, where a sleeping Matthew is jostled awake to a hug from his older brother. They all talk and catch up, while Ronan cooks and bakes and cleans in the kitchen, listening with a soft smile on his face. Hunter brings toys for Rory and the two play together on the carpet, Declan and Adam nervously supervising. Opal joins them, spotting a full face of glittery makeup and looking quite cute, and snuggles up in between Jordan and Matthew. The three of them have always gotten along, three dreams that have become inseparable from dreamers and non-dreamers alike, an integral part of this family. 

After a while, the door slams open and Hennessy comes in, seemingly angry. "You left me in the _car?!" _But she has a smile on her face--grateful for both the extra sleep and the familiar faces in front of her that she's missed. 

"Sleeping Beauty returns!" Ronan calls from the kitchen, stepping into the foyer to greet her. "Good to see you, Hen." 

"You too, Lynch." 

"Morning, Hennessy," Adam calls from the living room, though his voice grows slightly louder, as he's walking towards them. He gives her a hug and she squeezes back. "Sleep well?" 

"You betcha," she smirks. "Though I could use a cup of coffee and some toast?" she squints. 

"At your service, m'lady," Ronan jokes, badly copying her accent, though he heads back to the kitchen to get her breakfast anyways. 

Hennessy lives on her own in D.C., though she's only a few minutes drive from Jordan and Declan, and spends a good amount of time there, as their unfinished basements works perfectly as a studio. She and Jordan are a pair of thriving artists, able to easily pass as talented twins now that there are (sadly) only two of them. They have a gallery in the city that Declan helps manage, something he enjoys much more than he ever enjoyed working in politics. 

When Ronan joins them in the living room, with coffee and toast in hand, they're all laughing at something Matthew must've said, as he's blushing and covering his face. Ronan loves the sight of this -- of his family, together, laughing and cuddling and free of demons or hunters or monsters. 

And the final piece of the family should be arriving any minute. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very cheesy last sentence, I'm sorry!! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed though-- Comments/thoughts appreciated :)


	5. The Ganseys' Arrival

The arrival of the Ganseys causes Adam and Ronan to spring to their feet and to the porch. Pulling into the driveway is a large family-style van, much like the one Ronan drove here against his will. Blue springs out of car first, catching the boys eye’s from the porch, waving enthusiastically. “Happy Thanksgiving!” she calls.

Blue is dressed in an assortment of patterns—everything form plaid to polka dot to paisley—with her hair tied in a messy bun, green stripes peaking out from in. Her stomach is large and round, a few months pregnant, and she rests a hand on it protectively. Richard Gansey follows, dressed impeccably in a collared shirt, sweater vest, khakis and of course, boat shoes.

Some things never change, Ronan thinks to himself.

Adam and Ronan join them by the car, despite the cold and their lack of jackets, giving them by each a hug and then swapping. “Adam! Ronan!” Gansey smiles. “So good to see you both.”

“Good to see you to, Dick,” Ronan smirks. “And you, maggot. I like the hair.”

“Thank you. Noah helped me with it,” she smiles, touching it fondly.

“That doesn’t seem like the safest thing, with all the chemicals . . . ” Adam notes.

“Relax, he had gloves,” Blue sighs. Adam still shakes his head, disapproving, but smiles always. “Speaking of which—“ She turns to the side of the car and opens the sliding door, revealing twin five-year-old boys strapped in the backseat, huddled over an iPad watching an episode of Magic School Bus.

Blue and Gansey wanted a big family, and they started out pretty strong when Blue found out she was pregnant with twin boys, and now pregnant again with a girl. They named their boys after two people they had both loved: Noah and Percy (after Persephone).

“Boys, we’re here. You can finish the episode later,” Blue says in her best “parent voice”. Ronan always finds it amusing to watch Blue parent—he finds it funny to watch such a small person telling other small people what to do, a joke that she did not laugh at nor appreciate.

Blue and Gansey help unstrap the kids and they clamor out of the car. “Give your uncles a hug,” Gansey says.

“Hey, kiddo,” Adam smiles, crouching down to wrap Noah up in a hug. Noah loves Adam — ever since he was little he’s been weirdly attached to him, and Adam doesn’t mind the attention at all. It’s probably because the two are a bit similar: more quiet and reserved, thoughtful and careful. Ronan lifts Percy up in the air, shaking him and making him laugh.

“Okay, Gansey clan, let’s get inside,” Ronan says as he finishes giving Noah the same welcome.

“I’ll meet you in a second; I’m going to get our bags,” Gansey says.

“Here, let me help,” Adam adds.

“I can get my own bags!” Blue exclaims. “Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I’m not capable of lifting things!”

Adam gives her a look that says why do you have to make things so complicated, one that Ronan knows to well, and Blue rolls her eyes, surrendering to his offer. “Fine — boys, let’s get inside.”

Ronan helps herd them inside, where they’re greeted by Opal, who stands at the door with a large smile on her face. “OPAL!” the boys scream in unison, basically tackling her. Opal babysat the boys whenever they were all in the same city and the adults need their alone time. They thought she was the coolest, not just because of her not-so-human qualities, but because of her adventurous spirit and leniency with the rules. Opal will run around with them in the yard, build pillow forts and pretend to be a monster, and then let them eat more cookies than Blue said they could have. The boys love her, and despite her transformation into a semi-bratty teenager, she still loves them.

“Hey, boys!” she chirps, seeming like a child again for a moment. “Got any new ninja moves sine I saw you last?” The twins immediately respond, talking over each other, as they were both obsessed with ninjas. “Okay, okay, let’s go upstairs and you can show me….Dad, do you want me to take Hunter?”

“No, it’s okay, he’s playing with Rory,” Ronan says, smiling at her. She’s a good kid, he thinks to himself.

The three of them head upstairs just as Gansey and Adam reach the door, bagless. “Where’s the luggage?”

“We brought it to the brand new guesthouse,” Adam says, raising his eyebrows. “You and the boys can stay there so you’re not cramped on an air mattress down here.”

“Guesthouse? Since when did that happen?” Blue asks.

“We weren’t using all of the barns and we figured, since everyone’s having kids and there’s more and more of us around, we might as well convert one into a livable space,” Adam explains.

“I came down for a few days in September before Matthew went to school and worked on it,” Ronan shrugs. “It’s nothing fancy, but much more comfortable than the living room with Opal’s snoring”

“How did we miss this?” Blue asks, turning to Gansey.

“You missed it, actually. I’ve known about it for months,” Gansey replies.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“No, I definitely told you. You just didn’t listen,” he says, a devious grin on his face. She swats his arm.

“Sorry, maybe I was too busy being pregnant with our third child,” Blue retorts, staring him down violently. He puts his hands up in apology, and she gives him another nudge. “Well, I’m excited to see it.”

Matthew decides to join them at that moment, smiling wide like always. “Hi, Blue, Gansey!”

“Hey Matthew!” Gansey asks, hugging him. “Is everyone else here?”

“Yeah, we’re all watching the parade,” he says and Gansey follows happily. He’s probably desperate to discuss politics with Declan or art with Jordan and Hennessy.

“Well I should get back to this turkey — Blue, want to start on your pie?” Ronan says, backing up towards the kitchen. She gives Adam a quick squeeze on the shoulder before following Ronan, with Adam heading to meet the others in the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay these chapters are getting worse and worse and I apologize....I feel like I set myself up for just writing lots and lots of reunions, which isn't super exciting.
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter (the actual thanksgiving) will be more exciting. Apologies and thank you for sticking around!


	6. Thanksgiving Dinner

Hours later — after multiple movies, games, and even naps, it was finally time to sit down and eat dinner.

Everyone gathered in the rarely used dining room, extra chairs pulled in from the kitchen, and struggled to figure out where to sit.

“I want to sit next to—"

“No, I have to sit there—“

“But where will I sit?”

After a solid five minutes of rearranging and fighting, everyone was settled at the table, high-chairs and all, and they were ready to eat. Everyone grabbed at the various plates scattered across the table—sweet potatoes and green beans and macaroni and stuffing and more—with arms reaching and scooping and passing at a rapid pace, creating music out of the clink of plates and silverware. Ronan carved the turkey he had worked so very hard on and divvied up juicy pieces to the raised plates pointed towards him. At some point a bottle of wine was passed around and the adults gratefully filled their cups, all feeling a bit headachy with so many wild children in the house.

“I still think this Holiday is absolutely absurd, but these potatoes are everything,” Hennessy smirks.

“Which potatoes? Mashed or sweet?” Matthew asked.

“Sweet,” she smiled. Matthew proceeded to scoop a big glob of marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes onto his plate.

“I like the mashed ones, Daddy!” Hunter added, evidence of his admiration smeared across his face. Adam wiped his mouth gently with a napkin, laughing.

Jordan, next to a wiggling Aurora in her high chair, scooped up tiny spoonfuls of mashed potatoes to feed to her. Her face resembled Hunter’s, covered in sticky potatoes. “Rory likes them too.”

“Technically they’re _both _mashed potatoes,” Declan observed, to which Ronan replied with a glare.

“It’s all delicious, Ronan, as usual,” Gansey applauded. A few years ago, they tried a potluck-style for Thanksgiving, with everyone bringing a different dish or two, but it had gone miserably. Declan was an average cook, but was hopeless when t came to large portions of things. Matthew and Jordan had never touched a stove in their lives. Blue could cook, but she much preferred baking (hence the large pumpkin pie cooling in the kitchen). So they all agreed to leave the cooking to Ronan, with the assumption that he too preferred it that way (which he did).

“Noah, Percy—stop it,” Blue scolded the twins, albeit gently, who were now using green beans as little swords and fake-fighting each other. She had a true mountain of food piled on her plate, and Ronan would not be surprised if she finished it all. Despite her small frame, pregnant-Blue was hungrier than all of the Raven Boys combined. “We should eat our veggies, not fight with them.”

They of course didn’t listen. Opal took note and held up a green bean of her own, gesturing to the boys and grabbing their attention. She held the green bean in her hand, swung it like a sword once, and landed it right in her mouth. The boys’ eyes widened and they followed suit, swinging vegetables with one fell swoop right into their open mouths. Blue raised an eyebrow at her. “At least now they’re eating them,” Opal shrugged.

“That is true,” Blue laughed.

They all talked and laughed and teased and ate. Everyone was smiling and having a good time. Ronan looked around the table, proud of the family he had and the family he’d found. 

He looked to his left, where Adam was sitting, and placed a gentle hand on his knee. The other man turned to him and smiled wide. “You okay?” he asked, squeezing Ronan’s hand.

“Yeah, I’m great,” Ronan smiled. He leaned over and gave Adam a quick kiss before pulling back—they were at the dinner table after all. “I’m really grateful for you, Adam.”

Adam gave him a soft smile and pressed a hand to the side of his face. “I’m grateful for you to, Ronan. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Ronan nodded, turning his head to kiss the inside of Adam’s palm against his cheek.

“Hey, love-birds, keep it PG!” Henessey taunted, a large grin on her face. Ronan responded by tossing a crumb at her, to which Adam automatically yelled “Hey!” to. Hennessy countered by tossing an entire dinner roll at him.

“Okay, okay, _children_, let’s stop the food fight,” Gansey announced. Noah and Gansey, who both had their own rolls in their hands, regretfully put them down.

“I wasn’t doing anything,” Hunter whined, thinking he’d been yelled at for no reason.

“Uncle Gansey was making a joke because Daddy and Aunt Hennessy were behaving badly,” Adam whispered to him, rubbing his back calmingly.

“I’m not even surprised. Those two cannot be in the same room together without causing some form of chaos,” Jordan sighed, a warm grin on her face.Declan just let out a long breath, shaking his head.

“Don’t blame me and Hen,” Ronan retorted. “We’re all a bit chaotic.”

Adam smiled at him lovingly. “Yeah, we are.”

———————

An hour later, everyone was stuffed to the brim and laying in various positions throughout the house, half-eaten plates of pie and ice cream scattered throughout the house. The twins were asleep on the couch, curled up on either side of Opal, who was texting her friends and trying not to wake them. Hunter sat on Matthew’s lap in the rocking chair, drifting off as well, as his uncle read him a story. Declan, Gansey and Adam were in the kitchen, a little slumped in their chairs, drinking wine, and talking about the economy (like the sophisticated adults they were). Jordan was fully laying on the ground, Rory resting on her stomach, in a bit of a food-coma while Hennessy sat nearby, drinking a beer. Blue and Ronan sat on the steps leading upstairs, observing from a far. A Christmas movie was playing on the TV, though no one seemed to really be watching.

“We did good, huh?” Blue said, turning to him with a smile. Ronan just nodded. “Its crazy to think about everything that happened all those years ago….I never would have thought that _this _is where I’d end up.”

“On a farm for Thanksgiving?” Ronan joked.

“No,” she laughed. “But with all of you, alive and well and happy….Not with my mom and aunts, who don’t even celebrate Thanksgiving, but with this group of people I’ve grown to love….We’ve been through so much and I feel like we’ve earned this moment.” Ronan looked at her strangely. “Okay, I know that was cheesy and dum—“

“No, no,” Ronan interrupted. “You’re right.” He looked towards the kitchen, where Adam was gesturing wildly as he rambled on about god-knows what while Gansey and Declan nodded along eagerly. He looked towards the living room, where his brother was reading yet another book to him. “We have a lot to be thankful for.”

“We do,” Blue agreed.

Ronan leaned back and closed his eyes, smiling to himself. Everyone would leave over the next few days, and soon they’d have to head back to Boston. But for now, he had his whole family, right here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this fic....not my best by far, very plotty, but hopefully still enjoyable! I just posted another Pynch fic (A Soft Reunion) if you're interested in checking that out. Let me know if you have any requests/prompts--I'm about to go on vacation and will have plenty of time to write. 
> 
> Thanks so much and happy holidays!


End file.
